Recently, I had my first taste of international golf! I went on a family vacation to Canada and managed to play three courses while we were there. Our main focus was sightseeing but I took some time on Monday, Tuesday and Friday to golf.
I kicked off the golf portion of the trip at The Links at Crowbrush Cove, which is on the eastern side of Prince Edward Island. Crowbrush Cove usually gets mentioned as the best public course on the island and among the best public courses in Canada. I’m sure someone more experienced with Canadian golf could argue differently, but I almost felt that I had to play the course because of all the fanfare that it gets. Put another way, I would have been disappointed if I didn’t play here after driving 20 hours to get to this part of the island!
The course is part of a resort, which appeared to be the only place in town. While we didn’t stay at the resort it looked nice, at least from the outside. One thing I noticed about the island is that outside of Charlottetown, there isn’t much development. That is probably part of the draw though! If you play here be prepared to have your non-golfing friends or family drive a little ways to find something to do, unless they enjoy the beach! Thankfully my family loves the beach and we just left the car in the golf course parking lot for the 4.5 hours that it took me to play. The beach is close to the clubhouse, so it worked out great for us.
As you walk up to the clubhouse to check in, you’ll be drawn to two holes which run to/from the dunes, near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Come to find out those are the 9th and 15th holes! From just outside the clubhouse you get a taste of the incredible piece of property that the course is routed around. The views from the clubhouse are quite the introduction to Crowbrush Cove, especially on a clear day.
I found my group on the 1st tee and we got started with the round. The opening holes at Crowbrush Cove head inland and while you know you are close to the coast, they don’t offer the same excitement that the 7th through 18th holes do! The final two-thirds of the course is what commands the premium green fee that you’ll pay to play here.
Over the years I’ve played a handful of courses in some awesome coastal locations. Spanish Bay, Bandon Dunes and Half Moon Bay come to mind. I think Crowbrush Cove’s location is just as good as these courses because starting on the 7th hole the course plays through the sand dunes and wetlands, with plenty of water and beach views.
The 7th, 8th, 11th, 16th and 17th holes are likely the course’s best holes, as they get you the closest to the waves and the beach! The 7th and 8th greens are perched in the sand dunes and you are close enough to the beach where you could pitch a ball out there.
The 11th is a par-5 that plays inland, however the tee sits on top of a sand dune. The proshop told us to have our cameras ready on that hole as you get a slightly elevated view from the back tee box. From there you can look down the coastline and make out bits of the nearby 16th and 17th holes. The 11th tee is a great spot so make sure to hike up the back staircase to check it out, even if you aren’t golfing! The 16th and 17th holes are the signature holes, as they get right by the beach. The 17th is a devilish, short par-3 playing just 113 yards from the tips! The small green’s surface is blind from the tee and there is a cavernous bunker to contend with if you miss left. If you read any about the course you’ll see that this 17th is a polarizing little par-3.
Now that I’ve gushed about the setting of the course, here is the bad news – the design at Crowbrush Cove becomes borderline unplayable if you catch it on a windy day. And, I’d think windy days so close to the water are common! I know it sounds a bit whiny so let me explain.
Crowbrush Cove is a tremendously difficult course to play, even on a calm day. I played the gold tees which are 73.3/141/6576. Thomas McBroom, a well-known Canadian architect, designed the course in 1994 and it is one of those “championship”, modern designs. Bunkers narrow driving areas and surround greens. Green complexes are mounded and I thought the surfaces themselves were small, given all the space surrounding them. Most greens had a lot of undulation in them, making it tough to chip or putt anything close. In short, Crowbrush Cove is one of those courses where you make a par with a perfect shot.
What had me scratching my head was that lower ball flights were taken away with all the modern design elements. There are a handful of forced carries dictated by the property and that is fine! I’m talking more about bunker placement and green slopes. If someone is having to hit three extra clubs because of the wind then accuracy drops and ideally there should be a bailout area, even if that is a chipping area. The course makes you carry the natural trouble just to penalize you with trouble elsewhere, after you carry the natural trouble. I won’t go on anymore besides saying that it is a decent modern course, but an opportunity was missed to build something really special here!
Just about all the conditioning was great, just as you’d expect for the $100+ green fee. There were some dry spots and things were firmer, but the fairways, tees and greens yielded nice lies and smooth rolls. The sand was fluffy with some rocks, the only questionable part of the maintenance.
As soon as my family started talking about visiting Prince Edward Island, I put Crowbrush Cove at the top of the list of the courses that I wanted to play. I’m glad I was able to play it, but it turned out not to be my style of course, which is okay!
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):